Defensive line is the 'biggest question' for UNC this season

Earlier this summer, head coach Mack Brown designated the defensive line as the team’s "biggest question" other than quarterback. Since then, the Tar Heels hope to have found their answer under center in first-year Sam Howell. But Brown and the staff will still need players to step up on the defensive front.

“The defensive line and its lack of depth is a huge concern,” Brown told The Daily Tar Heel in July. “... With modern-day offenses, quick tempo, in the heat, big guys up front get tired fast.”

Fortunately for the Tar Heels, new defensive coordinator Jay Bateman has transitioned the defense to what is primarily a three-man front. As a result, the team will not have to rotate bodies as much as in previous seasons.

Though UNC will play fewer players up front, those who follow the starters will still be expected to contribute. Whether they can backup the likes of Aaron Crawford, Jason Strowbridge and either Raymond Vohasek or Tomari Fox is yet to be seen. Backups Xach Gill and Jahlil Taylor have combined for four games of Division I action.

“You really need to be three deep, and right now we are one deep,” Brown said.

With a supporting cast as thin as the Tar Heels have, one injury up front could have a big effect.

The lack of experience among the backups puts that much more pressure on Strowbridge and Crawford, UNC’s best returning defensive linemen from a year ago. They will be counted on to compete with some of the best offensive linemen the ACC has to offer, and they have a vote of confidence from their coach, who said they "Can play with anybody."

This praise is expected after last season, when Strowbridge finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks; only Malik Carney, a senior last season, recorded more. Crawford, despite missing most of last season to injury, is a commanding presence when healthy. The Ashburn, Virginia-native was tied for third on the team in sacks two seasons ago.

Rounding out the starting trio will be either Vohasek or Fox at defensive end, two players who have never played a down in a UNC uniform.

Vohasek, a junior college transfer from the College of DuPage, has stood out in camp. Before suffering a shoulder injury that caused him to miss all of last season, he had a productive 2017 campaign in which he collected 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

Fox, a first-year, comes in as a 3-star recruit, and his versatility should let him see the field early and often. Whether he will play a majority of snaps at end or outside linebacker is yet to be determined. 

However, he showed he can get after the quarterback regardless, notching eight sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 13 pressures in his senior year of high school. His ability to rush the passer earned him 7A all-state and all-region honors last season at Collins Hill.

The defensive line is still a concern. However, the return of Crawford and the maturation of the young players behind him will only improve a defense that finished last season ranked No. 101 in run defense out of 130 FBS teams.

@KenjonVander

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com